Transcript I Love Wales

Sandra, Kristjan and Kadi
Language
 All people in Wales speak English but the Welsh language is
thriving. It is spoken fluently by over half a million people in
Wales that is over 20% of the population. It is called Cymraeg.
 That Celtic language is closely related to Cornish and Breton and
is one of Europe`s oldest living languages.
 The Welsh people are keen to keep the language alive so Welsh is
a compulsory subject for all school pupils up to the age of 16 in
Wales. Welsh medium schools are also increasingly popular.
 They have Welsh language televison channel, S4C, and a Welsh
language radio station, BBC Radio Cymru.There is no daily
newspaper in Welsh, but there is a weekly national paper as well
as Welsh language magazines and regional monthly papers.
...some welsh words
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Bore da -Good morning
Prynhawn da - Good afternoon
Noswaith da - Good evening
Nos da - Good night
Sut mae? - How are you?
Croeso - Welcome
Croeso i Gymru - Welcome to Wales
Os gwelwch yn dda - Please
Diolch - Thanks
Da - Good
Da iawn - Very good
Iechyd da! - Cheers!
Bendigedig - Great
Mythology
 Everywhere you go in Wales someone will point out a hill,
church or a standing stone that has a story of it's own.
 Here are some of the better
- Mabinogion
- Lady of the Lake
Mabinogion
The Mabinogion (pronounced 'Mabin-OGion') is a collection of Wales
medieval tales dating back a thousand years which still have the ability to
fascinate and appeal to all. They are regarded by many as a masterpiece of
medieval literature and Wales' greatest contribution to European
literature.
The tales are set in a magical landscape which corresponds geographically
to the western coast of Wales and are full of white horses, giants, beautiful,
intelligent women and heroic men.
Although these characters are long gone, the ancient sites associated with
these legends remain. For example, Harlech Castle was where according to
the tales of the Mabinogion, Matholwch, King of Ireland, arrived to marry
the giant Bendigeidran’s sister Branwen. But the ill fated marriage resulted
in warfare between the two countries and the death and carnage broke
Branwen’s heart and she was buried on the banks of the river Alaw.
Lady of the Lake
Llyn y Fan Fach, a remote lake in Wales Black Mountains has its
very own Lady of the Lake legend. The story goes that it was here
a young farmer named Gwyn won and then tragically lost the
love of his life.
He fell in love with a beautiful water fairy and she agreed to
marry him but warned him she would leave him for ever if he
struck her three times. They lived happily for many years and
had three sons but when Gwyn struck her playfully for the third
time she disappeared into the lake and he never saw her again.
She would sometimes reappear to her sons and teach them the
powers of healing with herbs and plants and they became skilful
physicians as did their children after them. Some of their ancient
remedies have survived and are in the Red Book of Hergest, one
of our most important medieval manuscripts.
Legends
 Here are some of the better legends.
- King Arthur
- Beddgelert
King Arthur
King Arthur and his knights regularly appear in Wales mythology and folklore.
In Wales, Arthur’s fame lives on in our everyday place names. Caerfyrddin (Carmarthen)
is believed to be Merlin’s birthplace, and is named after him. There’s Maes-y-Camlan or
Camlan Field; Bryn y Cleifion (Hill of the Wounded) marks the area where the casualties
may have been laid and Nant-y-Saeson (Stream of the Saxons) suggests where Arthur's
enemies pitched camp.
These place names are not devised to try and prove a point - they are real names,
centuries old, part of a community memory which is still alive. The name Arthur comes
from the same stem as the Welsh word ‘arth’, meaning bear.
He is also supposed to have fought his last battle at Bwlch y Saethau - the Pass of Arrows which is below Snowdon’s summit and Llyn Llydaw is the lake where Arthur’s sword
Excalibur was thrown.
On the Gower peninsula stands Arthur’s Stone which is said to be the ‘pebble’ that he
removed from his boot on his way to the battle of Camlann in AD 539. He threw the
stone over his shoulder and it landed seven miles away on Cefn Bryn Common near
Reynoldston.
Beddgelert
From the village of Beddgelert, in the National Park of Snowdonia, comes the tale of
Prince Llywelyn. The Prince was very fond of hunting. Although he had many dogs, his
favourite was Gelert, as he was fearless in the hunt and also a loyal friend and companion.
One day Llewelyn and his wife went out hunting, leaving their baby son with a nurse and
a servant to look after him. The nurse and the servant went for a walk in the mountains
leaving the baby alone and unprotected.
Llewelyn was absorbed in his hunting, but after a while he noticed that Gelert wasn’t with
the pack. The Prince knew something was wrong as Gelert was always at the front of the
pack. He reasoned that the only place Gelert would go was back to the lodge, so he called
off the hunt and headed back home.
As the party dismounted, Gelert came running out of the lodge towards his master,
covered in blood and wagging his tail. The Princess, calling her child's name, fainted.
Llewelyn rushed into the baby's room to find the cradle overturned, the bloodstained
bedclothes thrown all over the floor - and no sign of his son.
Filled with anger and grief he drew his sword and killed Gelert. As the dog died, his
whimpers and his cries were answered by the sound of a baby crying from behind the
overturned cradle. When Llewelyn pulled aside the cradle he found his son unharmed
and the body of a huge wolf next to him. Gelert had in fact killed the wolf as it tried to
attack Llewelyn's son.
With huge remorse, Llewelyn buried Gelert in a meadow nearby and marked his grave
with a cairn of stones.
Films
Wales is a popular location for filming. Wales landscape has
provided the setting to Hollywood movies and popular television
shows such as Harry Potter and Dr Who.
North Wales was the backdrop to scenes from the second Tomb
Raider movie starring Angelina Jolie whilst Bollywood films have
been shot in locations all across Wales such as Caerphilly Castle
and Aberystwyth. Bollywood star Mayur Verma has even
relocated here. The Delhi-born actor said of his move: "Everyone
is so welcoming and friendly and it's a great place to raise a
family."
The film Ironclad, starring Paul Giamatti, was also recently
filmed in South Wales at the Dragon International Film Studios
(also known as “Valleywood”).
Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas who died in New York in 1953,
has been the focus of a number of films. The Edge of Love a
film about the poet's life starring Matthew Rhys, Keira
Knightley and Sienna Miller was filmed on location in west
Wales.
The longest-running science fiction television show in the
world, Doctor Who, was revived by Welsh writer and
producer Russell T Davies for BBC Wales and has won
many awards. Filmed in south Wales, if you’re lucky you
may see stars from the show around Cardiff. (The Doctor
Who Experience, currently in London, will be moving to its
permanent home in Cardiff next year, 2012). Doctor Who
spin off Torchwood has also been filmed in and around
South Wales with its former ‘hub’situated in front of
Cardiff's Millennium Centre.
The BAFTA Award Winning British sitcom, Gavin and
Stacey was also made here in Wales. Written by and
starring Welsh writer and actress Ruth Jones, the show also
includes Welsh actor and comedian, Rob Brydon.
Welsh television producers S4C International have an
animation catalogue that is broadcast all over the world,
and have had two Oscar nominations for Famous Fred and
The Canterbury Tales.
Other TV shows made here in Wales include; BBC
television drama - Sherlock Holmes, Merlin, and the 1960's
cult TV series, The Prisoner which was filmed at
Portmeirion in north Wales.
Thank You!